


I Can't Pretend Anymore

by dracosathenaeum



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Established Relationship, F/M, Wedding, pure angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29685777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracosathenaeum/pseuds/dracosathenaeum
Summary: Draco's friends and family hate you; you've stood by for years but it's no longer enough.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	I Can't Pretend Anymore

“Draco please, you can’t avoid this forever.”

“Can we not do this tonight? Let’s just talk tomorrow.” You could see the annoyance start to creep into his voice, his fingers loosening his tie before running a stressed hand through his styled hair.

“Draco. I can’t do this anymore.” 

You didn’t know if you were keeping it together as well as you hoped you were, you had managed to keep your voice steady, but Draco would be able to tell your breaking point so perhaps there was no use in hiding it at all.

“What do you mean?” His hand had frozen in his hair, a look of disbelief on his tired face as he tried to understand what you meant.

The night he had gotten down on one knee, asking you to spend the rest of your life with him had been both the best and worst day for your relationship. You had cried as you accepted the beautiful ring, had nothing but happy thoughts for your futures together. But as night came, as Draco’s warm body wrapped around yours, the second thoughts started to creep in.

Draco would always be enough for you. But would you ever be enough for him? Not in anyone’s eyes but his own, and perhaps that was testament enough. You had laid awake the entire night, thinking about how his friends and family would react to him promising himself to a half-blood for the rest of his life. His parents hated you. They hid it well enough in front of him but the snide comments, the insults and hypocrisy were all too painful in private.

You had told Draco but of course, who would want to hear that their parents were so awful to someone they loved so dearly? Especially as they made sure to never purposefully do anything in front of him. Slytherins through and through really, you were made out to be the delusional one whereas they held all the power.

Your own family and friends thought you mad to be with a former death eater, but they understood that you loved him. They had been wary the first time you had brought him to a family event, but they had seen how much he loved you and it wasn’t long before they accepted him as a permanent part of you.

They didn’t love him, they would prefer you to not align yourself with the Malfoy name but, they supported you and loved you. Which was exactly why you could never tell them of his family’s behaviour, they would have you leave Draco on the spot. You wouldn’t put it past them if they had tried to obliviate you even.

You were alone in this, but Draco was all worth it. Or he had been.

“Draco it’s been 4 years and there’s only so much I can take. I’ve told you time and time again that your friends and family despise me, and I know that I will never be good enough for you, but I can’t change that. I can’t change the blood running through my veins. But Draco, even if the whole world was against me, I would be okay if I had you by my side-”

“You do have me.”

“You don’t understand Draco! You make me go to event after event where the second you turn around; they tear me apart like lions that haven’t eaten for weeks. I’ve told you how they treat me behind you back, how they humiliate me every chance they get! I trust you. I trust that you’ve spoken to them but it’s not enough Draco, it hasn’t been for a long time.”

Your voice was wobbling by the end, the sadness turning into anger the longer you spoke and thought about your future in-laws.

“You know you’re not my parents first choice, they can be a little harsh, but they’d never purposefully hurt you, they know how much you mean to me. You know that if- when they say anything you can tell me, and I’d stand up for you.”

“You think it’s that easy? You don’t think I’ve tried only for your parents to turn it back on me and for you to say that I was overreacting in front of everyone?”

“I apologised for that, I didn’t- I didn’t realise I swear. But it hasn’t happened in months, I thought tonight went pretty well.” The annual Malfoy Valentine’s day ball, one that had been attended by not just the elite purebloods but to high-ranking ministry positions, meaning even more people had been present to something your fiancé had simple laughed at.

“Draco, your mother was literally setting you up with Astoria fucking Greengrass whilst I was right next to you.”

“That was clearly a joke.” You scoffed in disbelief, there was being oblivious, and there was this.

“Were we at different parties? Did your mother not clearly say that Astoria was someone she’s proudly give the family ring to? That she would be the perfect wife and heiress to the Malfoy/Black line?” Draco could see the hurt seep through into your voice, the tears welling up in your eyes as you started slipping through his fingers.

“What am I supposed to do? We’re free but conditionally. The war was a mistake and we’re punished for it every day and I know we deserve it, but it means they are all I have. The ministers that my mother invites hate us, they had voted for us to be thrown in Azkaban, but they come and enjoy our parties to take what they can from us. The world hates us. We hate what we chose to do during the war. So if I don’t have them who am I left with?”

“Me. You’re left with me Draco. Shouldn’t I be enough? I’m not asking you to break from your family, I’m just asking for you to stand up for your fiancé whenever your world is turned on her like I stand up for you out there where the world hates you!”

“They’re my family.” One word was apparently all it took to shatter your heart.

“Am I not your family Draco? Is that not what you wanted from me when your proposed? Or does this ring mean nothing to you because your mother wouldn’t give hers to someone with filthy muggle blood running through their veins?”

You could practically see his mind whirling; trying to sort through the best response that would end the conversation well. That would save him. But you were beyond saving.

Your right hand that had been fiddling with the promise of forever on your left hand pulled it off. You kept your eyes on Draco, watching his every expression as he followed the ring leaving your finger to being pressed into his palm.

You clasped your hands around his own to close it around your his ring, hands trembling as well as your voice.

“I- I don’t understand. I thought we were okay, I thought this was just another fight we would work through.”

“Draco. I can’t pretend anymore. I’m done having to put up with your family, I’m done pretending to be okay. I’m just done.” You were out of fight and it has taken Draco up til now to understand just how important this conversation had been. For him it had been an annoyance when he was just trying to get to bed. For you, it was your last attempt to get him to understand; your last attempt for him to understand your side.

“I’ll stay with my parents for now, I’ll collect my things later.”

“What do I have to do, what can I do to make you stay.”

“I think it’s a little too late for that Draco. If it’s taken me leaving you to realise something was wrong. I don’t think you there’s anything you can do.”

He watched as you packed up some of your belongings, rushing to collect things from places they might never return to. The toothbrush that belonged next to his, your favourite books on your nightstand and your clothes that were hung up next to his.

“You promised.” It was barely a whisper, something you had barely heard over the hammering of your heart. You stilled, turning to see streaks of tears running down Draco’s tortured face.

“You said you’d never leave me. That it didn’t matter that everyone was against us, that we had each other and that it would be enough. You said you’d marry me even if I had nothing.”

“Was I the only one in that conversation? Did you not hear anything I said?!”

“Please. Please don’t leave me. Don’t give up on us. Tell me what to do, I’ll do anything.”

“I think it’s too late for that Draco. I’m done.”

He didn’t stop you again as your packed your bags, as you slammed the bedroom door behind you and as he heard the fireplace ignite. He just let you walk away because just as everyone had told him, he didn’t deserve you, that sooner or later you would leave him. You, your heart and your empty promises.

//

He shouldn’t have let you go. He shouldn’t have let you walk out the door.

But he had.

He had wanted both of his worlds to simply become the same, he was naïve for not seeing your discomfort for what it really was. He had taken you for granted and he hadn’t even known it, hadn’t seen the million fucking signs as they glared back at him.

You had stuck by him and took on his family with stride; for him. And his own family? They had comforted him for all of 5 minutes before immediately going on one.

“Did she give the ring back? It might not be the family ring but it’s still an heirloom.” Had she always been like this? Just how much of a blind eye had he given his family’s actions? He had followed them blindly and had almost ended up in Azkaban; you’d think he would’ve learnt his lesson by then.

Your His ring was still gripped tightly in the palm of his hand; he had refused to let it go from the second you had pressed it into his palm.

“Should I call Astoria over? This is a good opportunity to meet her properly and take your mind off of her. I want you married before 30 in time for grandchildren, so you have to move quickly to make up for all the time you wasted with y/l/n.”

Each groove of the ring in his palm was imprinted into his skin from how tightly he had gripped the ring after each poisonous word his mother spoke. She disliked you, he knew that. But he thought she was trying. She had acted fine towards you but was this the woman you had been dealing with for all of the 4 years you had been with him?

Regret had been running through him the second you left but it was stronger than ever now. He had been a shit fiancee, one who hadn’t listened to his lovers countless pleads for help.

It was no wonder you were gone by the time he realised his mistake.

“She’s gone.”

It had all of a sudden been real. The slither of hope that he had been holding onto was ripped to shred as your mother tore him into shreds.

“We told her this was coming, that you would only break her. We all didn’t like you, but we knew she was happy with you and her happiness was the most important thing for us.”

He couldn’t bear to look at either of your parents; he had flooed into their living room where the both of them had been expecting him. A cup of lukewarm tea waiting for him across the table from them.

“Don’t look for her. Just stay away from her and let her find somebody who actually deserves her.”

His hands gripped tight to the mug in front of him, hiding the trembling in his hands as he agreed to stay away. As he agreed to give you up.

//

His bride was beautiful. The picture-perfect wife-to-be: and a look on her face that he could only hope was mirrored onto his own, no matter how much of a lie it would be.

“Do you, Astoria Greengrass take thee Draco Lucius Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

His smile faltered, but if she caught it, she didn’t let it show.

“Do you, Draco Lucius Malfoy take thee Astoria Greengrass to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I- ”


End file.
